Socket assembly



Patented Apr. 23, 1946 socnnrr ASSEMBLY Daniel H. Newey, Detroit, Mich., assgnor to Thompson Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 2, 1944, serial No. 566,377

8 Claims.

This invention relates to stud and socket assemblies having automatic wear take-up properties and composed oi a minimum number of inexpensive parts.

Specically, the invention deals with tie rod joints wherein the conventional spring seat or spring retainer has been eliminated. y

According to this invention, joint sockets or housings are provided with closure plug means having lugs thereon for centering a coil spring. Studs are mounted for limited universal movement in .the sockets or housings, and have recessed head portions with central protuberances therein receivingr the opposite ends of the coil springs. The protuberances preferably have close operating clearance relationship with the lugs on the closure plugs so that the joint parts will remain in operative assembly even when the coil spring is broken. The lugs on the closure plu-gs and the protuberances in the hollow heads of the studs cooperate to maintain the springs in proper position for urging the stud heads into goed bearing relationship with the socket bearing walls thereby compensating for wear and preventing locseness of the parts.

A feature of the invention resides in the elimination of the heretofore-necessary spring retainer or spring seat interposed between the springand stud of tie rod joints for tiltably and rotatably receiving a part oi the stud.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a joint stud with a hollow half-ball head'containing a central protuberance to center a, `spring in the head.

An object of this invention is to provide socket assemblies having wear take-up properties and avoiding the heretofore-necessary use of spring retainers or spring seats.

A further object of the invention is to provide tie rod joints with a minimum number of operating parts.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide tie rod joints wherein a closure plug has a protuberance thereon cooperating with a protuberance on the stud of the joint to maintain the joint spring in operating position without the necessity for heretofore-used spring seats.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a stud and socket assembly wherein the stud has close operating clearance relationship with a xed part of the socket to maintain the stud in operative relation with the socket even though the wear take-up spring of the assembly is destroyed.

A speciiic object of the invention is to provide projecting externally threaded stem Ilb.

a rotatable washer on the closure plug of a socket assembly for bottoming a, spring.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred examples, illustrates several embodiments of the invention.

On the drawing: y

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with parts Y broken away and shown in vertical cross section, of one form of tie rod' joint according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom `plan viewlof the stud of the joint shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, with parts broken away and shown in vertical cross section, of a slightly modified form of tie rod joint according to this invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a metal washer used in a modified joint according to this invention.

Figure `5 is a View similar to Figure 3, but illustrating a modied form of the invention embodying the washer of Figure 4.

As shownon the drawing:

The joint of Figure 1 includes a socket or housing I0, a stud I I, a stud seat I2, `a wear take-up spring I3, and a closure plug Iii. The housing i has an enlarged end portion ma and a laterally The end portion I 0a provides the housing or socket for the Astud I I while the stern portion Illb mounts this housing on a tie rod or the like (not shown). The housing portion Ina. contains a fragmental spherical internal bearing Wall Ic converging from a cylindrical bore md at one end cf the housing 'to a reduced-diameter opening i 6e at the other end of the housing. The socket is conveniently formed by forging and machining operations. 'Ihe bore Id is counterbored to receive the closure plug Id against a shoulder at the bottom of the counterbore and the end of the housing is then spun over the peripheral margin o-f the closure plug i4 as at If to retain the plug in position in the housing.

The stud Il has a hollow half-ball head I la in the socket Illa receiving the seat I2 therearound. A cylindrical shank portion I Ib projects from the head lla through the opening Ie of the socket and snugly projects through the openings in the seat l2. This cylindrical portion IIb causes the seat I2 to move Withthe stud during all tilting movements thereof and the seat I2 has an external 4bearing wall' I2 a bearing engagement with the bearing wall Ic of the socket. The stud head IIa can rotate about its own axis inside of the seat I2.

The cylindrical por-tion IIb of the stud shank extends to the large bottom end of a tapered shank portion I Ic adapted to receive the eye end of a steering arm or the like therearound. A reduced-diameter externally threaded cylindrical portion Ild extends from the small end of the tapered portion IIc and is adapted to receive a locking nut (not shown) thereon.

The seat member I2 is illustrated as being composed of molded plastic-impregnated fiber such as canvas, but it should be understood that the seat can be composed of metal or any other bearing material.

The hollow stud head has a rounded central protuberance IIe therein aligned with the cylindrical shank portion IIb and projecting into the recess I provided by the hollow head". The recess I5 converges from a major diameter portion at the open end of the head to a reduced-diameter annular groove portion Imaround the protuberance IIe. The coil spring I3 has an end coil thereof bottomed inthisannular groove I6 so that it is confined by the protuberancenlle and by the side wall of the recess I5.

The closure plug I4 hasV a plate-like portion Ma closing 'the open bore IIld of the socket IIIa as explained above. A central lug or protuberance I4b projects from the plate Ida into the recess I5 of the headV AI Ia and receives several y coils of the spring I3 therearound. The spring I3 is bottomed on the plate portion Illa of the plus. Y Y Y The lug Mb has a fragmental'spherical top end portion I4c struck from the center O by a radius R. This center O is also the center of tilting of the stud head and seat and a longer radius R' from the center O generates the tilting bearing wall IIlc of the socket Ia and the bearing wall of the stud head I I a. The stud and lug surfaces Illc are thus concentrically mounted in the housing. The protuberance IIe of the stud has a fragmental spherical configuration struck from a center X by a radius R".

Since the radii R and R are struck from the same center O, the protuberance I I e will not bind against the surface Ilic during tilting movements of the stud and, as a result, `a very small operating clearance can be maintained between the lug surface Ille and the surface of the protuberance Ile. This small operating clearance will insure maintained operation of the joint even though the spring I3 becomes broken.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the rounded surface of the lug I4c need only be spaced from 1/64 to 31e of an inch from the protuberance IIe, since both the lug and the protuberance have rounded or fragmental spherical end surfaces.V

' In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 3, parts identical with parts described, in connection with Figure l have been marked with the same reference numerals.

In Figure 3, the lug |41) on the closure member I@ has a fiat top surface Idd while the protuberance I Ie has a fragmental spherical surface struck from a radius R" centered at X. The stud II tilts about the center O the same as the joint of Figure 1 and therefore, in order to maintain clearance between the flat face Idd andthe protuberance I Ie, it is necessary to space the surface ltd further away from the protuberance in the illustrated straight vertical position of the stud. The embodiment of Figure 3 is thus identical with the embodiment of Figure 1, except that the lug is provided with a flat top or wall spaced a greater distance from the rounded protuberance I Ie than the rounded top wall Ille of the embodiment of Figure l.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, parts identical with parts described in connection with Figure 1 have been marked with the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, however, the spring I3 is bottomed on a washer Il embracing the lug IlIb of the closure disk I4 and resting on the plate part Ida of the closure plug. This washer is adapted to rotate with the spring so that the spring can. turn with the stud to carry the washer therewith and eliminate binding of the washer on the plug. As a result, resistance to turning movement is decreased.

From the above descriptions it should be understood that the invention now provides socket assemblies or joints of the stud and socket type equipped with wear take-up springs directly interposed between the stud and socket without the necessity for intermediate spring retaining means. It should also be understood that the invention provides a novel stud construction for tie rod joints wherein a hollow half-ball head on the stud has a central protuberanceV projecting into the recess of the stud head to cooperate therewith f or forming a spring-locating groove. The invention also includes a lug on the closure plate of the socket assembly for close operating clearance relationship with the protuberance on the stud, and for centering the wear take-up spring. In one form of the invention, the lug on the closure plate has very close operating clearance relationship with the protuberance on the stud, and has a rounded configuration permitting tilting of the stud without causing contact between the stud protuberance and the lug on the closure plate. In another form of the invention, the

1 clearance relationship between the stud protuberance and the lug on the closure plate is increased, so that the lug can have a flat surface and the plug need not be assembled concentric with the stud.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose t0 limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. A socket assembly comprising means dening a socket accommodating tilting and rotating movements, a closure plug for said socket having a spring-locating lug projecting into the socket, a stud having a recessed head in said socket, a rounded protuberance on said stud projecting into the recess of the head, said lug and said protuberance on said stud being in closely spaced relationship, and a wear take-up spring bottomed on the closure plug around the lug portion thereof and seated in the recess of the stud head around the protuberance thereof.

. 2. Atie rod joint comprising a housing having a bearing wall accommodating tilting movements, a closure plug for said housing having a central lug portion projecting into the housing, a stud having a hollow head in said housing in tiltable relation to said bearing wall thereof, said lug on said closure plug projecting into the hollow head of the stud, and a coil spring bottomed on the closure plug surrounding said lug portion and projecting into the hollow head of the stud to act against the stud for maintaining the stud closely spaced relationship with the rounded surheadin proper bearing relationship with the bearface of the lug, said rounded surface of the lug ing wall of the housing. and said rounded protuberance accommodating 3. A tie rod joint comprising a housing memfree tilting and rotating movements of the stud ber having an enlarged end portion dening a 5 relative to the housing without binding, and a socket and a laterally projecting stem portion coil spring bottomed on the plate portion of the adapted for connection to a tie rod, said socket closure plug and surrounding the lug and prohaving a converging bearing Wall accommodattuberanceto act on the stud for maintaining ing tilting movements and a reduced opening at the stud head in `good bearing relationship with the converging end of said bearing wall, a clothe wall of the housing.

sure plug for the other end of said socket, said 6. In a tie rod joint including a socket and a closure plug having a central lug projecting into stud tiltable and rotatable relative to the socket, the socket, a stud having a shank portion projectthe improvement which comprises a hollow head ing freely through said reduced opening of the on said stud in said socket providing a recess, socket and a head portion seated in said socket a closure plug for said socket having a lug proin tiltable and rotatable bearing relation to the jecting into said recess, said lug having a fragsocket Wall, said head portion having a recess mental spherical end surface struck from the therein receiving said lug of the closure plug, and same center as the tilting center of the stud in a spring surrounding said lugr bottomed on said said socket, said stud having a rounded proclosure plug acting against said stud in the retuberance in the hollow head portion thereof cess of said head to maintain the stud in proper opposing said rounded end of the lug in closely bearing relation with the socket. spaced relation, and a coil spring bottomed on the 4. A joint comprising a socket having opposed closure plug surrounding the lug and protuberopen ends and an intermediate bearing Wall acance and acting on the stud to maintain the stud Commodatng tilting movements, a closure plug head in good bearing relation with the socket. closing one open end of the socket and having a '7. In a tie rod joint including a socket having lug portion projecting into the socket, a stud hava closure plug and a stud mounted for'universal ing a shank portion projecting freely through the movement in said socket, the improvements of a other end of the socket and a head portion seated lug on said closure plug having a flat end Wall in said socket, said head portion having a recess and a rounded protuberance on said stud opposreceiving said lug of the closure plug together ing said flat end wall, said at end wall and said With a founded Dlotllbeiailoe Projecting into the rounded protuberance having sufficient clearance recess in opposed relationship to the lug on the therebetween to permit free tilting of the stud, plug, and a coil spring surrounding said lug in and a coil spring embracing the lug and protuthe lollig and said rounded proto-teramo@ and botberance bottomed on the closure plug and on the tomed et Opposite ends oIl the Stud and Closure stud for maintaining the stud in good bearing plug for maintaining the stud in good bearing Telai-,ion with the socket, relationship with the socket. 8. In a tie rod joint including a socket and a 5. A tie rod joint comprising a housing having Stud mounted for limited universal movement in a bearing Wall accommodating tilting and Totatthe socket, the improvements of a closure plug ing movements of the Stud, 2 Closure Plug fol for said socket having a central lug projecting said housing Composed of a Plate portion Spun into the socket, a stud having aV protuberance intO the housing in 'lXed relationship therewith thereon opposing said lug, a coil spring embracand a Central 111g portion projecting into the ing the lug and protuberance, and a rotatable housing, Said Central lug Portion haVIlg o washer interposed between the coil spring and rOunded end Surface, a Stud having a hollow the closure plug whereby said spring can rotate iragmental spherical head disposed in said housfreely on the plug while maintaining the stud in ing in tiltable and rotatable relationship relative good bearing relation with the socket.

to the housing, said hollow ball head of the stud having a rounded protuberance projecting into 5o DANIEL H. NEWEY. 

